The Washington critic., 1887-01-17
TOPICS OF THE DAY.


Tribune, involving the name of q Sena-
tors wife of whom the following Is
told, as having occurred recently: The
Senator's wife In her round of visits
called on lady whose marriage within
year was one Of the events talked of
in official society, on account OF the
high official position of her husband.
The Senator's wife, as the story goes,
called on the lady's day" and was
received with much cordial politeness,
as were all callers. In little pause af-
ter the first salutations, the Senator's
wife said: as 1t true, Mrs. Blank,
that you were clerk In one of the De.
partments before your first marriage;
and did your mother keep boarding
house W The hostess proved equal to
the unexpected assault, as she also
proved herself a woman of good breed
ing-which cannot he said of her
visitor. "Yes," she replied, with per-
feet dignity and good temper, at is
true that | was Il clerk In one of the
Departments before my first marriage.
But my mother did not keep a board.
ing house. If she had ! should have
had home and there would have been
no necessity for me TO be clerk, you
know" The name of the Senator's
wife Is the secret society people are Just
now trying to find out. The name of the
woman who made the womauly answer
is known and she Is commended on all
hands for courage and good sense.
She is likely to be liked for herself
rather than for the social position given
by her husbands prominence.
~
Says Carpenter in the Cleveland
Leader. The sickness of Allen G. Thur
man at the sth of January banquet was
to-day the gossip Of Washington.
Thurman has as many friends here as
any man in public life, and he is In the
minds of many possibility for 1888.
He told me at the time Of the Chicago
convention of 1884 that he had never
felt better In his life than he did then,
that he weighed 200 pounds, and that
he had stomach like that Of an
ostrich. called upon Thurman at the
time Of Zach Chandler's death and he
told me that Chandler went of just as
he had expected. AS looked then at
Thurman's rosy face, the thought went
through my mind that his high living
Allen G. Thurman has always lived
well. While he was at Washington he
was q figure at social dinners, and he
room while the Senate was in session.
II lra, IL TO hat
well known to all that he was judge
of good liquor, and liked 1t.
a*X
"Mr. Farwcll," said rash young
reporter of the Chicago Herald the
other day to the next Senator from
Illinois, chow did you happen to be
called Poker Charley" There it is
again, there it is 70 exclaimed the mer.
chant, rather warmly; twill people
never get through talking of me In
connection with poker? 1t all comes
from that miserable old skeezicks land
here Mr.. Farwell used several stronger
terms), John Wentworth. When he
was running against me for Congress
in 1S10-and | buried him pretty deep,
too--he made a speech in which he
dubbed me Poker Charley aud threw
q pack of cards up in the air and said
these were the implements l was most
familiar with. That's where that
started, and for years lot of good peo-
pie have thought me one Of the worst
men in the world. I've met good min.
listers before now who asked me why |
didn't reform my ways and stop gam.
bling. Now the fact is" continued
Mr.. Farwell, "that while know how
to play poker, and rather like the
game, 1t is only rarely that indulge,
and then in my own house or in the
house of some friend, for the most
trivial of stakes and purely for amuse.
ment."
~
Sawyer of Wisconsin and Stanford
of California are the two portliest mer
in the Senate, says Towlc of the Bostor
1racellor. Sawyer sports corporation
that would do credit to any alderman
He loves to gossip with his associates
and he is the one man in the uppel
branch who always stands ready t.
assist a friend, financially or otherwise
Sawyer never makes speech. III
couldn't If he tried and that is proba
bly, the reason he never makes the at
tempt. Stanford is another heav,
man and resembles Grant In name
more than any one now In public life
AS sample Of his wonderful eXecu
tive capacity, 1t need only be men
iNnt l,n ,f 4,
Central Pacific Railroad, and superin
tended its construction over the noun
tains, building $50 miles of 1t in 30
days. The smallest man in Congress
General Wheeler of Alabama, III
was one of the brayest officers on tn
Confederate side of the late uu
pleasantness' and at one tim
commanded the entire cavalry of th
South. The tallest man 1
Congress is Stewart OF Texas, a membe
of the House. lie measures fully 81
feet three, and weighs about $50 pound,
Stewart Is brilliant and accomplishe
lawyer. of whom great things were on
pecied when he first came to Congress
As soon as he fairly landed In his sea
however, he bored down into the centr
of big chunk of silence, and, with tn
exception of his work in committee, h
has taken no active part in the deliber,
tions of the House. Stewart is til
long, Wheeler the short, Barnes tn
heavy, and ingalls, the thin in Cor
gress.
~"a
Frank G. Carpenters contributio
to the American Press Association o
"Joe" Brown of Georgia is the be-
newspaper sketch of this well.know
Senator that has ever been published
lie says that after finishing course c
studies at the Yale law school Brow